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There aren’t enough world leaders speaking up about humanitarian crisis in Gaza: Dua Lipa

There aren’t enough world leaders speaking up about humanitarian crisis in Gaza: Dua Lipa

The pop star spoke up about the Israeli onslaught of Gaza in her Rolling Stone cover story.
17 Jan, 2024

Pop star Dua Lipa was on the cover of the February issue of Rolling Stone magazine and used the opportunity to chastise world leaders for not doing enough to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Among other things discussed in the lengthy profile was the political stand Lipa took on the violence in Gaza and how she was calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire.”

“My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war,” said the singer, who was born to Albanian parents. “I feel for people who have to leave their home. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war does, no one really wants to leave their home. They do it for protection, to save their family, to look after the people around them, that kind of thing, for a better life. So I feel close to it,” she explained.

“My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw, and it is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive,” Lipa added.

The 28-year-old said she felt “so bad for every Israeli life lost and what happened on October 7”, referring to the Hamas attacks that claimed 1,200 Israeli lives. She was also among the first celebrities to sign an open letter calling President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“At the moment, what we have to look at is how many lives have been lost in Gaza, and the innocent civilians, and the lives that are just being lost. There are just not enough world leaders that are taking a stand and speaking up about the humanitarian crisis that’s happening, the humanitarian cease-fire that has to happen,” Lipa told the publication. 

“It’s probably easier to be apolitical,” she mused. “I think there’s no kind of deep discussion about war and oppression. It just is something that we’ve seen happen time and time again. I feel like just being a musician and posting about something doesn’t make enough of a difference, but hopefully, just showing solidarity, which is sometimes all you feel like you can do, is important.”

Header image — Rolling Stone